The present disclosure relates to a sheet conveying device conveying a sheet and an image forming apparatus including this sheet conveying device.
In an image forming apparatus forming an image on a sheet, a toner image is formed on a photosensitive drum by an image forming part and the toner image is transferred to the sheet by a transfer nip part arranged between the photosensitive drum and a transfer roller. The image forming apparatus also includes a fixing part. The sheet having the transferred toner image is subjected to a fixing process by the fixing part, and then, ejected.
In the above-mentioned image forming apparatus, because the sheets in different sizes are used, a plurality of stages of sheet cartridges are arranged as a sheet conveying device below the image forming apparatus. The sheet discharged from each sheet cartridge is fed to a sheet conveying path extending in upward and downward directions at one end side of the plurality of stages of the sheet cartridges, and then, conveyed to the image forming part in which the toner image is formed on the sheet.
The above-mentioned sheet conveying path is extended so as to curve in order to vary a direction conveying the sheet. In order to guide the sheet along the curved sheet conveying path, a conveyance guide is provided in the sheet conveying path. Generally, in order to lower friction resistance of the sheet, a rib is attached to the conveyance guide. Particularly, in a case where a firm thick paper is conveyed, in order to lower conveyance noise being caused when the sheet comes into contact with a face of the conveyance guide, the above-mentioned rib is often required. In addition, a technique providing the sheet conveying path with a separating claw so that the separating claw guides the sheet to an inversion path is disclosed.
In the above-mentioned technique, in a case where a thin paper, such as a recycled paper, is guided by the rib provided in the sheet conveying path, waviness of the sheet is often caused. Even in a configuration without providing the above-mentioned rib, in a case where the thin sheet is conveyed while being bridged across conveying rollers located at a distance in the sheet conveying direction, similar waviness is often caused by tensile strength applied to the sheet.